Sorry, you have to convert to Islam to use this elevator

Here is a link to an article on forced conversions (link). But there is a section that tells this story:


I recently heard from a lady who related an experience she had in one of the larger—and more cosmopolitan—cities in Egypt last month:

“I have a seventh-floor apartment in a building with one elevator. In my recent trip to Egypt, I was told by the doorman that I’d have to convert to Islam if I wanted to use the elevator. Otherwise, I’d have to pay a thousand dollars. I wondered if he was joking—after all, I’d been away from Egypt for years; maybe the jokes were different now?—but quickly learned that he wasn’t. I made him a counteroffer of half. He declined it and brought out his original offer. I refused, and was forced to cut my stay short because of arthritis in my knees.”

The whole article is worth a read.